Syrian air raids kill 49 in northwestern village, activists say

BEIRUT – Government airstrikes on a northwestern Syrian village Monday killed at least 49 people and destroyed homes, shops and cars, activists said.

The Local Coordination Committees said two air raids on the village of Janoudiyeh in Idlib province killed 60 people and wounded others.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the air raid killed 49 people, including six children. It said the death toll could rise as some people are still missing.

Conflicting reports often emerge in the chaotic aftermath of such events.

The Observatory said the air raid struck a public square in Janoudiyeh, near the town of Jisr al-Shughour, which was captured by insurgents in April. It said the village has become home to many displaced people from nearby areas.

A video uploaded onto the Internet by activists showed a chaotic, smoke-filled scene, with people running past damaged cars, and bodies scattered on the street. Women screamed as men hurriedly covered bodies and pulled wounded people from the rubble before an ambulance arrived.

"My son was killed!" a man screamed. "We need cars!" another man shouted, as a third, covered in blood, sat on the debris.

The video appeared genuine and corresponded to other AP reporting.

Activists say thousands of people have been killed in government airstrikes since Syria's conflict began in March 2011. The war has killed more than 220,000 people.